Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: No data available
Neat styling inside and out, spacious interior with plenty of storage compartments, flexibility, brilliant 1.3 turbodiesel, entertaining handling.
Packaging not as ingenious as that of the Vauxhall Meriva and Honda Jazz, mediocre build quality, fidgety ride, sloppy gearshift action.
The Idea is a welcome addition to the growing mini-MPV sector but seen-it-before packaging means it joins rather than leads the field.
Fiat hopes its Punto-based Idea mini-MPV will be a major paddle to help row the troubled Italian car maker back into more profitable waters. It claims the five-seater's combination of flexibility, versatility, style and performance will appeal to more than just the traditional family buyer. In other words, it's aimed at those with a more youthful, active lifestyle. The Idea's peppy engines, entertaining drive and generous levels of kit will do much to court these buyers.
The Fiat's small size hides a spacious interior with tipping, flipping and folding rear seats, but ultimately this car brings nothing new or innovative to the market. The build quality on our test cars wasn't special, while the engines' finer qualities were spoilt by a fidgety ride. None of which is optimistic given this extremely competitive market where intelligent packaging, ease of use and above-average quality are prerequisites rather than welcome extras.
Two engines - a 1.3 Multijet diesel and 1.4 petrol - are available from launch and Fiat will use its familiar Active, Dynamic and Eleganza badges. Prices haven't been confirmed yet - they should be announced closer to the next February's on-sale date - but expect entry-level to follow Europe for the 1.4 petrol at £10,250 and £11,350 for the 1.3 diesel. We expect UK-bound cars to be more generously equipped, but nevertheless, prices will have to be very wallet-kind if Fiat is to meet its admittedly modest sales target of 8000 units a year.
